As a light emitting type electronic display device, cited has been an electroluminescence display (ELD). Constituent elements of ELD include an inorganic electroluminescence element and an organic electroluminescence element (hereinafter also referred to as an organic EL element).
The organic electroluminescence element is constituted in such a manner that a light emitting layer, which incorporates light emitting compounds, is sandwiched between a cathode and an anode. In the above element, electrons and positive holes are injected into the light emitting layer and are subjected to recombination, whereby exciton is generated. During deactivation of the resulting exciton, light (fluorescence and phosphorescence) is emitted. Light emission can be realized via application of a voltage of approximately from several V to several tens V. Further, the organic electroluminescence element exhibits a wide viewing angle due to the self-light emitting type, and high visibility, whereby in view of space saving and portability, it has attracted attention.
A large-size manufacturing apparatus at high cost with a dry process such as an evaporation method or a sputtering method has been utilized as a method of manufacturing the organic electroluminescence element, but attention has been focused on a manufacturing method with a continuous wet coating process.
It has gradually been found out that a thin film formed via the dry process exhibits high film-strength though there is a problem such that the dry process produces high cost in view of productivity with low efficiency and so forth, whereas the surface of a thin film formed via the continuous wet coating process exhibits relatively low film-strength, and careful handling is desired since interlayer adhesion is weak further in the case of a multilayered film, though the continuous wet coating process exhibits excellent productivity. It has also been found out that attention should be paid specifically to a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus during a cutting process.
Incidentally, a technique of cutting an organic EL element formed via the continuous wet coating process has not yet been disclosed.